


And if the world don't break, I'll be shaking it ('Cause I'm a young man after all)

by booksandanime



Series: Stormtroopers and starfighters [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: And to Poe, Because he's important to the Resistance, M/M, Poe trains Finn, Set in the setting wherein Finn needs something to do, They're partners, What happens after the coma, after waking up, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 18:36:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5551037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booksandanime/pseuds/booksandanime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finn is insecure, and Poe thinks that for a Stormtrooper, Finn is actually pretty swell.</p><p>(Or, the fic where Finn is awake and on his feet, and Poe wants to train him to fend for himself, instead of merely running into every situation on blind impulse.)</p><p>-------------------------------------</p><p>"We're partners, aren't we?"Poe asks.</p><p>"Partners?" Finn asks. </p><p>"Yeah, partners! Like, one person has to say "This is going to end badly," and the other person will respond with, "We'll never know until we try, will we?" Poe says, energetically.</p><p>Finn stares at him again. "Have you been planning this already?"</p><p>"Yup!" Poe says, grinning.</p><p>Finn shakes his head. "Unbelievable."</p>
            </blockquote>





	And if the world don't break, I'll be shaking it ('Cause I'm a young man after all)

**Author's Note:**

> I AM SO ASHAMED, I SHIPPED THEM FROM DECEMBER 18, AND I ONLY KNEW ABOUT THIS SHIPPING PAGE ON A03, only because my friend told me. 
> 
> And here I am, writing trashy Stormpilot fics, mainly because I'm Star Wars trash. (I have never denied this.)
> 
> LET'S GET THIS THING STARTED. 
> 
> (This fic is also for my friends who put up with my making questions about every little detail, and one of them who just said, "Just assume, a lot of people do." Words of wisdom, I swear.)
> 
> Notes:  
> At first, I wanted this fic to be a fic where Finn still has to wake up, then I realized that there was way too much fics of this, so I decided to make a fic where Poe just teaches Finn stuff he thinks would come in handy. I'm not sure if there's already a fic of this, because I seriously just made this fic after my friend told me about this pairing. So, I apologize if this is already a common fic, I haven't read a whole lot of Poe/Finn fics yet. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this anyway. =]
> 
> SO, yes, there is no part before this, and you are not missing out on anything. Just presume that Finn has woken up from his coma, and Poe is dealing with whatever comes after.
> 
> The title comes from this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGDQRtAWLiY
> 
> Finn probably has Moderate Brain Injury: http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/traumatic-brain-injury-types/moderate-traumatic-brain-injury/index.html

Training.  
  
That's what they're doing.   
  
After all, Finn was weak after waking up from his coma, and in a few weeks, he would need to be back on his feet. He was important to the Resistance, after all.  
  
So Poe did the only logical thing to do, and he offered to train him.  
  
Princess Leia, thankfully, only had a few questions, and she had graciously allowed them to compose their own training regimen.  
  
When Poe had first expressed this to Finn, it was all he could do to offer a weak smile.   
  
It should have discouraged Poe, but few things could really discourage him, and he was encouraged by this small facial gesture none the less.  
  
He waited for 2 weeks.  
  
He wanted to wait for longer than that, but they could never tell when they would be under attack, or when he would have to leave to lead the next scouting mission.  
  
If there was any consolation, Finn seemed much better after this brief period of rest, and he seemed refreshed and eager to work.  
  
Poe first focused on walking exercises.  
  
It was simple, a few laps back and forth, all around the compound. People who saw them waved, but none approached.  
  
Poe knew that they all knew about Finn's condition, and he was grateful for the little privacy that they had.  
  
At first, the days were very slow, with Finn getting tired after only 20 laps.  
  
During these times, Poe would sit down with him, and wait for his dizziness to end.   
  
And after those times, he would carefully ask him if he wanted to continue walking or not.  
  
On the good days, Finn could still continue, and sometimes he would even smile when Poe joked around.  
  
On the bad days, Finn would just shake his head, and Poe would carefully escort him to one of the unoccupied rooms.  
  
The doctors had wanted him to just rest in the medical area, but Finn had firmly disagreed.  
  
He had wanted a place where he could sleep safely, without the smell of medicine, the feel of a too-soft cot beneath him, and the beeping sounds of a life-giving machine.  
  
After some reluctance, but with a little persuasion from Princess Leia, they had allowed him to sleep in one of the extra rooms.  
  
Sometimes, Poe would drop him off at the door to his room, and wait until he went inside to go back to one of the plane hangars. (He loved being near planes, even in his sleep, no matter how many suggestions he received that he could sleep better on a soft bed.)  
  
Sometimes, when Finn was too tired to walk, Poe would get a wheelchair, or just lean the boy on him, and escort him to his room.  
  
He would open the door, ease the boy onto the bed, make the necessary adjustments, and, as soon as he knew that Finn was comfortable, he left the room.  
  
He would have wanted to stick around, but he respected Finn's privacy enough to leave him alone when he needed it.  
  
Though, he wondered what would happen if Finn asked him to stay.  
  
\---------------------------------------------  
  
A few more days have passed, and Finn's health has gradually improved.  
  
He can run now, and he doesn't get quite so dizzy anymore, and he's so upbeat and energetic that Poe finds himself smiling more and more often.  
  
Of course, he still sets boundaries, and takes time to note each and every headache or soreness or general discomfort that Finn has.   
  
The first time Finn notes him doing this, he says that it's for the doctors.  
  
He thinks it is, even if they never asked him for it. (They've sent him well meaning glances far too many times.)  
  
Sometimes he even says that it's for Princess Leia, because she's concerned about everyone.   
  
What he never says- indeed, never stops to ponder the possibility himself- is that this might be for him too.  
  
Because he doesn't entirely hate what that implies, but he's definitely uncomfortable, so he doesn't say it.  
  
Thankfully, Finn doesn't seem to notice, and instead, playfully asks him if the note taking goes as far as his bathroom breaks.  
  
And Poe jokes back, shrugging, and saying, "maybe."  
  
Finn makes a pretend disgusted face, and insists that he won't be drinking liquid any time soon, and Poe asks if he plans on not eating either.  
  
And Finn just shrugs. "Military training."  
  
Poe frowns. "How long did you have to go without eating anything?"  
  
"We drank water and ate food every day, those simple military food that always seem so bland. We always exercised though, so pretty soon, we were all hungry, and we didn't care how unappealing the food looked. Sometimes it was fruits, sometimes it was unidentifiable mash, and sometimes, when we had to go away on missions, we skipped meals altogether."  
  
"Scouting missions?" Poe asks, grimacing in sympathy.  
  
"Yeah. Though, usually, when those missions occurred, our prey usually had some kind of food on him. If not, well," Finn's shrug was enough to tell Poe what happened, "we found other ways."  
  
There's a bit of a silence.  
  
"I've heard about things like that happening. Whenever we would land in some place, I would sometimes be unlucky enough to witness it. I always wondered what made people do it, go as far as to sink their teeth into other creature's flesh." Poe admits, quietly.  
  
"People do strange things for hunger." Finn says, his features strangely serious.  
  
Poe nods. "I know."  
  
And it seems like such an inadequate response, but Poe means it. And Finn can see it in the slightly harsh tint to his eyes.  
  
You don't become a pilot without seeing or hearing a few horror stories.  
  
\--------------------------------------------  
  
Poe loves flying.  
  
He loves it way better than being on the ground.  
  
On the ground he feels unsteady sometimes, like maybe he can't trust his own feet.  
  
But when he's in the sky, it's all clouds and energy and a bit of  _weightlessness,_ and all of his worries vanish.  
  
He especially loves it when he can turn the place upside down in a barrel roll, because then it seems like the sky is the floor, and the ground is the ceiling, and-  _what would it feel like to walk on the sky?  
  
_ He turns the plane right again, and revels in that moment when his stomach drops back down to it's rightful place, and his head seems like it's going to spin forever.   
  
He loves the lightness of it all.  
  
Oh, and the control he has.  
  
Like, he knows that he could probably crash somewhere, and maybe he should really be cautious about the air turbulence, but there are levers beneath his hands, and switches and buttons are arranged in neat little rows all around him, and he knows that he can steer this X-wing fighter pretty well.  
  
Sometimes he wishes that he could just go fly around the galaxy in it, which, he knows is impossible.   
  
(But Poe, at heart, is a dreamer, until his mind makes him think more sensibly.)  
  
Isn't that the way it is with everyone?  
  
That's why dreams are better dreamt at night, because then, your mind is most active.   
  
There are too many thing to distract it at day time, and it's only when night comes that your brain can fully appreciate everything that just happened.  
  
The smell of the leather seats, the sound of the plane's engine, the way the sky seems so close.  
  
Poe feels so much closer to the world when the sky is above him, and the ground is below.  
  
\---------------------------------------  
  
Finn is good at running into situations on impulse.   
  
This is something Poe has observed, as Finn has found a lot of occasions in which to prove this theory right.  
  
When he saved Poe. When he stood up to Captain Phasma. When he went back to save Rey. When he stood up to Kylo Ren.  
  
Poe appreciates it, of course, because he knows how much of a coward Finn claims to be, and has seen it himself quite a few times.  
  
But, he doesn't understand why Finn flinches when he hands him a blaster.  
  
"Didn't you use this a lot in the military?" Poe asks, genuinely confused.  
  
"I didn't. I didn't want to use it all. At the most, I held it. Maybe used it to shoot a few animals for meals. But never a human being." Finn says, defiantly.  
  
And of course he wouldn't have, this was  _Finn_ we were talking about.  
  
Poe stands for a while, blaster outstretched, wondering how this kind boy had ever been a Stormtrooper.  
  
_Sometimes life doesn't care about whether or not the good people are on the wrong side of the war.  
  
_ "But," He says, aloud, "all that matters is whether or not the good people know that they're on the wrong side of the war. Whether or not they do something then, depends on them."   
  
Finn looks at him confused, until his words sink in.  
  
Poe offers a timid smile, and Finn returns it.  
  
There's a sorry in there somewhere, and Finn's heard it.   
  
After a moment of silence, Poe grins.  
  
"Well then, shall we get you a light saber?" Poe asks.  
  
\----------------------------------------  
  
They went to Princess Leia, with Poe doing most of the talking, and Finn standing there, awkwardly adding his opinion whenever directly addressed by her.  
  
Yes, he had handled a lightsaber before.  
  
No, he hadn't stolen it.  
  
No, he didn't have it right now, the lightsaber was with Rey.  
  
Yes, he could demonstrate, though he wasn't very good.  
  
Princess Leia soon let them into a room that was placed somewhere in the compound. One of the few that she had managed to find.  
  
The lighting consists of only one switch, and one lightbulb.  
  
Though, she doesn't put it on.  
  
She tells him to close his eyes, it's easier this way.  
  
Finn, with one dubious glance at Poe, closes his eyes after seeing Poe's reassuring nod.  
  
For a while, nothing happens.  
  
And then, beads of sweat start rolling down Finn's face. His shoulders start to shake. And he stretches one arm out.  
  
A light saber starts up from the pile.   
  
It moves, slowly, and jerks up every once in a while. Then, it just stops.  
  
It hovers a few feet in front of Finn's hand, and Poe can see the toll it takes on Finn.  
  
Just as he's sure that Finn's going to faint, Finn opens his eyes.  
  
They're Finn's eyes, still the same black color, but there's something different about them.  
  
With a start, Poe realizes something.  
  
There's a hint of confidence in them.  
  
Finn looks  _confident._  
  
Which is surely not one of the things Poe expected to happen, but he's amazed none the less.  
  
And then, the light saber zooms into Finn's hand.  
  
Finn stares at it for a moment, as if not believing what just happened.  
  
He stares up, and meets Poe's amazed gaze with his own incredulous one.  
  
"What just happened, man?" Finn asks, sounding bewildered.  
  
"I think," Princess Leia says, "that the Force is with you."  
  
And Poe grins.   
  
And laughs.  
  
Because Finn is special.  
  
He knew it all along.  
  
\---------------------------------  
  
"You should have seen yourself man, it was amazing! At first, I thought you wouldn't have been able to handle it, especially when the light saber just  _stopped,_ and I was about to tell you to stop, because you know, I thought you would have fainted, but next thing I know, your  _eyes are open,_ and you looked so calm and so freaking  _confident,_ I almost couldn't tell that it was still you!" Poe chatters animatedly.  
  
Finn is still staring at the lightsaber, but at Poe's voice, he glances up. "I looked confident?"  
  
"Yeah, like you were about to start slicing through some Stormtroopers or something! Or, maybe," and here a sly look crosses Poe's face, "steal a TIE fighter?"  
  
Finn stares at him for a bit, then a look of amusement passes across his face. "I thought I already did that."  
  
"We can always do it again!" Poe says, grinning.  
  
"You said 'we.' "Finn says, surprised.  
  
"Yeah, I said 'we.' We're partners, aren't we?" Poe asks.  
  
"Partners?" Finn asks.   
  
"Yeah, partners! Like, one person has to say "This is going to end badly," and the other person will respond with, "We'll never know until we try, will we?" Poe says, energetically.  
  
Finn stares at him again. "Have you been planning this already?"  
  
"Yup!" Poe says, grinning.  
  
Finn shakes his head. "Unbelievable."  
  
"Nothing's unbelievable, it just depends on the person's ability to have faith in it." Poe says.  
  
Finn looks surprised at this. "Are you asking me to trust you?"  
  
"I think so?" Poe asks, because he wants this to be Finn's choice.  
  
He really, really wants Finn to know that he can always be in control of his own decisions.  
  
Finn is silent for a minute.  
  
"Well, I stole a TIE fighter with you, thought that you were dead, was only able to grab your jacket, and stumbled across the dessert. I had a hell of an adventure, and it's not over yet. Also, I learned that you were alive, and I was soon put into a coma by a mysterious guy in a black mask. Then, I woke up, and realized that you were the only person I know here, seeing as Rey left to go find the Force in herself, or something. So really, this shouldn't surprise me." Finn says, carefully.  
  
"What shouldn't surprise you?" Poe asks.  
  
Finn fakes innocence. "Why, the fact that you fell so hard for a Stormtrooper, of course."  
  
Poe's face acquires a red blush. "Who said anything about falling?"  
  
"I did." Finn says, shrugging.   
  
"Really. Someone comes up to you, says that they want to be partners, and you immediately think that that person is in love with you? I can't tell if that's arrogant or just plain Stormtrooper attitude." Poe mocks.  
  
"But you like this arrogant Stormtrooper attitude." Finn says, grinning.  
  
"Is this the brain injury speaking, or is this really you?" Poe asks, because he needs to make sure that he isn't just being lead on by a sickness.  
  
"Oh, the courage might be coming from the injury, but the thoughts are purely mine." Finn says, shrugging.  
  
"Huh." Poe says, and he wonders if he should write this down.   
  
"Well then, should we get going?" Finn asks, already turning around.  
  
"Go where?" Poe asks.   
  
"To the training compound of course! I've just got a lightsaber, and I really really want to use it, and since you want to be partners, I figure that learning about this is the most important thing so far. So that I can help the Resistance." Finn says.  
  
Poe smiles. "The lightsaber that you acquired with your Stormtrooper powers?"  
  
"The lightsaber that I acquired with my Stormtrooper powers." Finn agrees.  
  
Poe shakes his head fondly. "Well, Stormtrooper, let's get going."  
  
"Lead on,  _starfighter."_ Finn says, grinning. "Lead on."

**Author's Note:**

> That was my first Poe/Finn (or is it Stormpilot?) fic, and I hope I didn't mess it up.
> 
> I'm such a Star Wars geek, and this shipping is so amazing, I fell in love with Star Wars even more. 
> 
> (As to Finn's condition, I suspect it could be Moderate Brain Injury, as seen here: http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/traumatic-brain-injury-types/moderate-traumatic-brain-injury/index.html)
> 
> If I make other Star Wars fics, I might expand on this theory. =] 
> 
> Tell me what you thought?


End file.
